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College of DuPage on Hook for $500K in FOIA Battle

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As the Chicago Tribune and the College of DuPage went to court over the release of a subpoena issued to the institution’s fund-raising foundation during a federal investigation, both sides racked up some $500,000 in legal bills.

Now that the subpoena has been released -- deemed a public record by an Illinois appeals court that ruled DuPage and its foundation were in the wrong to deny its release -- the college and foundation will have to pay not only their own legal fees, but also the roughly $225,000 spent by the Tribune, the paper reported.

The paper requested the subpoena two years ago, after launching an investigation into DuPage. The investigation was prompted by previous Tribune reporting on the college that raised questions about the institution’s spending practices. No charges have been filed.